A BRAND new event is set to be held in Weymouth next year – and organisers hope it will help combat the seasonal trends of tourism.

The first ever Big Dorset Outdoor Adventure Weekend will take place on Saturday, May 20 and Sunday 21.

The event will be a celebration of the wide variety of outdoor activities on offer in Weymouth, Portland and beyond, from walking and cycling to watersports and horse riding.

The announcement comes as the Weymouth Area Tourism Partnership prepares to hold its second tourism conference tomorrow, Thursday, September 17. The partnership aims to bring tourism providers together and the conference is an opportunity for businesses to bring forward ideas to boost the area’s future as a tourism destination.

Activity sector representative for the partnership Roy Griffiths, said: “There will be presentations but we held the first conference in April and the idea is to top and tail the season, so this is a chance for us to get feedback. At the end of the day, there are a lot of people out there with their own ideas.”

One of the presentations will be an update on the Jurassica project by project co-ordinator Alison Smith.

Mr Griffiths said he will announce the outdoor activities event at the conference, and encourage any relevant businesses to get in touch to have their own ideas listed.

“We attended the Outdoor Activities Show in February and had a stand backed by Weymouth BID. We produced an activities leaflet with a list of providers and that has gone down a storm. That started us thinking about an event and we are really excited about it.”

He added: “One of the major problems for the town is that tourism is seasonal but activities like cycling are pretty well waterproof – you just have to put on different clothing – so can be done all year round.”

While there may be challenges ahead, Mr Griffiths said he is confident the borough can rise to the challenge.

“The Olympics proved we can put on fabulous events, world events, and the expertise is still here, we just need to focus on rebranding the area. It’s happened in Yorkshire and Wales, it’s all about activities now, the wellness industry is huge.

“We can improve the offering of the town centre and we need to improve signage but these are things that are being worked on. As businesses we all need to up our game. As a partnership, we can supply photos, logos, website links, whatever you need. Just ask, and together we can raise the bar.”

The tourism conference takes place at Weymouth Pavilion from 2pm tomorrow.